A Pledge of Onigiri
by Cherry Chibi
Summary: A promise made years ago. Memories lost and regained. There’s something that everyone is keeping from Tohru and Kyo. Then the question rises, is Tohru really who she seems to be? A romance unravels…
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **As they say, I do not own anything that is of Fruits Basket and of course, I'm not earning any profit from this either. I take no credit for the creations of Furuba.

**AN: **Hello! This is my first fic of Furuba! Hope you all like it. I'm starting this fic from the beginning of the story... so Tohru hasn't moved into the Sohma household yet. It may seem like I'm rewriting the whole story at first but please be patient with me... I'll get onto the real plot gradually. The coupling is Kyo and Tohru just to clear that up. Alright, I shall not keep you any longer!

A Pledge of Onigiri – Chapter One – By Cherry Chibi

'Beginning of a dream...'

__

_Today is leaving_

_Tomorrow is there waiting_

_Move a step forward_

- - - -

Tohru woke up with a feeling that something surprising was going to happen that day. Well, a lot of surprising things have been happening to her anyway. But today... it felt completely different. Something was going to happen. It was a heart thumping feeling. Her nerves were on alert. 'Maybe it's just because it is such a beautiful day!' Tohru thought as she walked out of her bedroom. She yawned. "What time is it mum?" She asked aloud, waiting for her mum to reply. Except, no reply came. She woke up fully, "Mum?" The house was silent and there weren't any signs of someone being in the apartment. She entered the simple kitchen and took notice of the clock on the bench. "Argh! It's eight already?! I'm running late!"

The night before she had been studying for a test that was on this day. She rushed into the room and changed into her uniform before grabbing her bag and running out the door. As fast as she could, she locked the door and sprinted to the elevator and traveled to ground floor. Once the elevator doors opened wide enough, she dashed straight out and ran to school. 'I didn't get to say _'be safe' _to Mum today...' Tohru thought guiltily. 'I really hope that she would be alright...'

Luckily, Tohru had just made it into homeroom and took her seat beside her two best ever friends Hana and Arisa. "Morning!" She said with a bright smile that radiated like the sun. "How are you today?"

"You were running late today..." Hana said with her cool and calm voice. "Did something happen?" Although her emotions didn't show on her face, she was concerned and when Tohru shook her head she was relieved.

"I was just studying for today's test. That's all." Tohru replied. Her attention was caught when squeals and shouts of excitement exploded the room into the daily routine. The Yuki Fan Club cheered and crowded around their idol as he entered the classroom with a smile on his face. "Sohma-kun sure is popular..." Tohru said with a laugh of nervousness.

"Class silence!" The teacher shouted as he entered the room. "I'll be taking roll call now!" And as the daily routine was, the roll was called and students responded to their names like a choir of birds taking their turns to call out. Just as soon as roll call was finished, an announcement called out.

_"Tohru Honda Class 1-D please come to the conference room on the first floor immediately... I repeat, Tohru Honda Class 1-D please come to the conference room on the first floor immediately..."_

"Huh?" Tohru stood from her seat. After checking with her teacher, she left the classroom and quickly hurried to the conference room. 'I wonder what it is about...' Once she had entered the room, there was a dark and sympathetic atmosphere. "Hello? Um... I'm Tohru Honda." She said to the lady at the desk as she entered.

"Honda-san, please, have a seat." The lady said.

Tohru sat down, feeling nervous all of a sudden. "Is there something wrong?" She asked. The look on the lady's face was worrying her and when her principal entered, that didn't help either. 'Oh no... did I do something wrong? I didn't do anything wrong did I?!' She felt her heart jumping in her chest.

"Honda-san, we have just received a call..." The principal started slowly and carefully. It was clear that he was uncomfortable with breaking the news to Tohru. "It was from the authorities..." The words were coming out painfully slowly, Tohru could feel her hands moisten up from the stress of worries. "Your mother has been involved in a car accident."

"Mum?!" At that moment she felt her blood freeze. Time stopped. The clear blue sky outside had darkened with stormy clouds. The birds vanished. "I-Is she alright?! Is Mum ok?!" At that moment she felt her hands shivering from the shock. She didn't know whether to stand or to remain seated. Should she cry now? Was her mother alright? Her body seemed to have stopped functioning when she saw her principal shake his head achingly slowly.

"I'm sorry Honda-san... I'm afraid... that your mother..."

"Mum..." Tears rushed to her eyes like a race. 'Why didn't I wake up just to say it this once... _be safe..._ mum...' Somehow she blamed herself for her mother's death. She would have never imagined anything like this happening to her mother. Not in a million years. But the fact was, that it did happen. Her shoulders were shuddering like earthquakes. "Mum..."

"Honda-san, I've contacted your grandfather... he'll be picking you up today..." The principal said, "I'm very sorry Tohru..." In his eyes were the sympathetic embers. He offered all the words of comfort to the young girl he could think of but soon Tohru asked if she could return to class. He had no other thoughts in mind so he allowed her to.

The walk back to the classroom felt very lonely. Tears were streaking her face. She smelt the salt from them. 'Why couldn't I say it this once...?' She wanted to cry so much. She wanted to lock herself in a dark room and cry until the end of time. How could a car accident take away her mother like that? Her mother was a woman who had so much strength in her. How could something so common take her mother away?

It had to be a nightmare. The news was just too horrible to be real. She was probably having a nightmare. Soon she was at her classroom door, she stopped. Her hand on the handle to push in open. 'I can't let anyone worry about me...' Tohru thought to herself. She took a couple of sniffles and tried her best to clear herself up.

'Ok.' She slid open the door and entered the classroom. Returning to her seat between her friends, she sat there quietly. She sat there as controlled as she could. "What have I missed?" Tohru asked her friends with a shaky voice.

"Is something wrong Tohru?" Arisa asked her.

"Nope. I'm fine." Tohru said. "So did I miss anything?" She asked her friends again. With a smile plastered on her face, she continued and pulled through her lessons until recess. When they were outside, Arisa and Hana filled Tohru in with all the events that were happening in their lives. Tohru listened but she was just an empty shell. Soon enough Hana and Arisa had noticed it and insisted Tohru to open up.

She was hesitant and being persistent saying that she was alright - until her tears came back and this time, she couldn't stop them at all. In an unclear tone, she explained what had happened. After the explanation, Arisa and Hana reacted in their own ways. Hana fell quiet and mumbled the words, "I'm sorry Tohru..."

Arisa however, her eyes were wider than ever, "Kyoko-san?!" It seemed that the loss was affecting them both as much as it had affected Tohru.

From that point on, the whole day felt like it was one of the coldest winter days ever. Regardless of the fact that it was a warm day and that there wasn't a smear of a cloud in the sky. Their hurt had somehow caught the attention of their teachers and by half way through the day, all three of them were asked to go home since they weren't in any condition to be at school.

- - - -

Yuki entered his bedroom and dropped his bag onto the floor carelessly. 'Shigure probably has gone out again...' He sighed and dropped backwards onto his futon. 'Honda-san seemed upset today... I hope that whatever she was told wasn't something bad.' He turned onto his side. 'It's none of my business anyway...' Just then, Yuki heard the front door of the house open.

"I'm home! And I brought take away too!" Shigure boomed into the house. "Yuki"

He couldn't understand how his dog cousin could ever be so loud. He remained on his futon unmoving. Unusually, he was feeling rather exhausted. He stared right up to the ceiling, thinking that maybe he had already fallen to sleep.

Recently he had ran away from the main Sohma household and arrived here. He also was attending a co-educational school against Akito's wishes. Also, he was popular at school among teachers and students. He should've been pleased that he had made a step out of the Sohma cage. But why doesn't he feel any different? Maybe it was because although he had escaped the main house, he was still in a Sohma house and that he still had to keep his secret. His lifestyle was still barely different.

"Yuki?" Shigure slid open the door, in one hand he held a plastic bag which had the take out food in it. "Aren't you hungry? I brought some delicious food home!" Realizing the glum atmosphere, he lowered his arm. "What's wrong now Yuki?"

"Nothing." Yuki replied. "Nothing at all." He didn't feel like he was wanted to make the effort to tell Shigure everything. After all, he wasn't even sure if he could trust Shigure fully yet. The dog was occasionally going back to the main house for various reasons and he knew that one of them was to report to Akito - whatever there was to report.

Shigure sighed, "Oh well... I guess that I'll eat all of this all alone..." It was one of his attempts to tempt Yuki to get up and into the dining room. No reaction came. "Okay then..." He slid the bedroom door shut and made his way to the dining room. Yuki had been moping about allot for no particular reason. To be specific, Yuki had always been moping around one way or another. 'We need a woman around the house... maybe it would lighten things up a bit...' Shigure thought half jokingly to himself. He chuckled.

- - - -

Tohru wiped her eyes dry once again with the sleeve of her jumper and sealed up the last box that contained her mother's possessions. She had been asked by her relatives to pack all of her mother's things. It felt as though her mother was the only family she had left besides her grandfather. 'They really want to rush things... why can't I just stay here for longer?' She stood and wiped away her stray tears. 'I better go to bed... it's late... I have to wake up early tomorrow because my relatives are coming to pick up everything...' Silently with the occasional sniffle, she entered her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

For the first time in her life, she went to bed without having anyone to say 'good night' to.

- - - -

In the dark streets a lone figure prowled, hands tucked in his pockets and his face plastered with a sneer. "I'm gonna kick your ass Rat-boy..." He said, his tone dripping with hatred towards the person. Four long months and soon it was going to be time for him to finally defeat his rival. A harsh cold wind blew and an object collided against his foot. He glanced down to find a silver necklace with a small silver... onigiri pendant? Finding the object rather strange, he bent down and picked it up. There was a emerald jewel at the centre that he guessed represented some sort of umeboshi or something. 'Who the hell would want to have something like this?!'

He was about to just drop it carelessly but then a second thought came. He sensed that there was some sort of importance from it and decided to take care of it for the time being. He tucked it into his pocket.

- - - -

Her dreams weren't any help to her situation. She dreams were flooded of all the happy times that she had with her mother - happy times which she took for granted. In her sleep, she shifted continuously. Visions of a car crash which soon flickered back to her mother's happy face and the back to the car crash. "Mum!" She sat upright in tears. 'I can't sleep at all!' She wiped her tears and slipped out of bed. Tohru pulled on an extra jacket. 'I'll go for a walk. I need some air.'

She walked out of her bedroom and to where her shoes waited patiently beside the main door. After slipping on her shoes, she left the apartment. Usually she wouldn't go out at this hour of night by herself but something was telling her to go out. Or more like she felt like she just wanted to be outside in the open and find some place where she could clear her thoughts rather than be in a place which contained so many reminders of her mother.

Once she was outside, she welcomed the breeze which felt so cooling against her flushed skin. Soon enough she was able to find a distraction that made her smile rather weakly. Glancing up at the sky she admired the full moon. 'It's so beautiful... and the stars are so clear tonight too...' She continued to walk the empty streets.

- - - -

'I'm going to beat that Yuki...' He thought as he walked, 'And when I do... I can be part of the zodiac!' He grinned rather evilly and balled his hand into a fist. "That's right! I'm going to beat the crap out of him!" He started to sprint eager to reach Shigure's house. It was only a couple more blocks away until he reached the forest which would lead to the house. Turning a sharp corner, he collided with someone and then... a puff of smoke appeared.

- - - -

"I'm so sorry!" Tohru said in a panic while bowing repeatedly. "Are you alright... ah...?" She then looked down at the orange knocked out cat with boy clothing nearby. She could hear her heart thumping in her ears. 'What happened?' She wasn't sure what to make of it. 'Did that guy just turn into a cat?!' She stared at the cat for a moment longer, 'Mum... this really must be some sort of dream!' She picked up the limp cat along with the clothes. 'Maybe I hit him in the wrong spot...! Ack! I need to get him a doctor! But all the clinics would be closed by now... so would the vets... argh! What do I do? Where should I take him?' It was soon enough did she decide that it would be best to take him back to her place.

Rushing all the way back up to her apartment, she entered the room. Flicking on the lights, slamming the door shut and trying to figure out what to do next in panic mode. 'The couch!' She put the cat on the couch and took a step back. 'Now what do I do?!' She looked right to left up and down trying to think of what to do next.

A bomb of pinkish-purple exploded and Tohru squealed and spun around. 'Oh my gosh... did that cat just turn into a boy? What's happening?! Okay... he... he's...' She blushed a bright red. 'He's... naked!' Unsure what else to do, she rushed into her bedroom and pulled out a spare blanket. Her face still felt like it was burning like a blue flame, she held the blanket up to cover her face and stretched it as wide as her arms would go. Step by step she got back to the couch and covered up the boy feeling extremely embarrassed although she didn't see anything.

After that, she stood there dumbfounded. Who was this boy? Why was he out so late at night and... why did he turn into a cat? She had many questions to ask out of curiosity. 'Wait, it's rude to pry into another person's personal business... when he wakes up... I'll make sure if he's okay and then he can leave and everything would go back to normal.' Tohru then took a look at the boy's face, 'He sure is...' She felt colour rise to her cheeks again. '... cute.'

Unsure whether or not she should leave the room or not, she settled with making onigiri, just in case whoever the person was woke up and was feeling hungry.

- - - -

Kyo woke up and he was face to face with a stranger. "What?! Who the hell are you?!" He said and jumped up. The girl reacted quickly and threw at him his clothing before she saw anything she wasn't suppose to see. He quickly pulled on his clothing.

"I'm so sorry! I saw you moving and I thought that you were going to wake up so I..."

Realizing his rather unusual situation, he kept quiet and tried to control his anger that had been aroused from the embarrassment. "Did you see anything?" He asked the girl with a sort of annoyed tone - he didn't mean to sound that way but that's how he was when he dealt with other people.

The girl jumped with embarrassment, "No-no! I didn't see any.."

"I meant, did you see me transform?" Kyo asked again his tone angrier than the last. The girl silenced and calmed. She gave him a small nod and he turned his head into another direction. 'She saw me... I've exposed my secret... what do I do now?' He glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye, 'She probably thinks that I'm some sort of freak...'

"Um..." She hurried to the kitchen bench and came back holding a plate. "Are you hungry? I made this for you just in case..." Kyo felt his cheeks turn red. He had never met anyone who was so nice to him and he wasn't used to it. Because of that, he just showed more anger than he was supposed to.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Kyo shouted, she winced and backed away a bit.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't apologise! Don't you know it's really annoying when someone apologises so many times?!" Kyo continued shouting.

"I'm sor-"

"I said-!" He stopped when he saw the girl's smile. Guilt came crashing down on him like a whole load of bricks. He growled frustrated. He wasn't meant to deal with people. He just wasn't able to stand around people let alone show any sign of gratitude towards someone's kindness. Another thing he found rather unusual was how the girl was smiling even though he was yelling at her. 'This is a great way to start off a conversation...' Kyo thought sarcastically.

"I'm Tohru Honda." The girl said after a period of silence. He looked at her with awe. She acted like what he had said to her earlier had made no impact whatsoever. "I hope that you're feeling better now... I know that you must've been embarrassed... after all, I did see you transform in a cat and all. That must've been your secret so now that I've found out..." She stopped speaking and then held out the plate with onigiri to Kyo. "Are you sure that you wouldn't like some onigiri?"

Giving in at last due to his empty stomach, he took a piece. "Thanks." He slumped back on the couch and took a bite from it. After chewing the rice and swallowing he was amazed at how good the onigiri tasted. "This tastes good..."

"Did you say something?" Tohru asked him nicely as she sat beside him.

"Nothing." Kyo said with a sigh. "I haven't told you my name yet have I? It's Kyo." He took note of the girl's smile and couldn't help but give a small smile of his own.

"It's nice to meet you Kyo." Tohru said. "So, how are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?" She looked concerned for a while until Kyo replied that he was alright. When everything fell silent again, he felt as though this girl that he had just met was one that was different from many other people. She had already accepted him even though she saw him transform into a cat and back.

He looked around and noticed that there were quite a number of boxes stacked against the walls and in the middle of the room. "Did you just move in?" He asked her while taking another piece of onigiri.

Tohru smiled gently, "No... my relatives just wanted to pick up my mother's things to take somewhere else." She fell silent and then glanced around the room.

"Why?" Kyo asked her. Why would her relatives want with her mother's things while she was here? How come she didn't say that her things were also part of the luggage. "Are you moving in with your relatives?"

"No. I don't know..." Tohru replied with a smile still in the presence of her face, "... I'm not sure who's taking me in yet." She looked out and drank in the apartment. "My... mum had just passed away today... and my relatives had told me to pack her things." Kyo had sensed a bit of sadness that had managed to escape and it was then that he felt even more ashamed of how he had been acting earlier.

"Some relatives they are..." He said in a low tone. He didn't like the way that Tohru had said things. So her relatives contacted her and told her to pack her mother's things... what about her? Didn't they care about how she felt? Weren't they going to even visit her to see how she was coping? They were probably selfish people who only wanted to get her mother's possessions to sell or something.

Tohru realised what Kyo was thinking. "Please don't think badly of my relatives! I don't want to trouble them at all and I'm doing fine by myself." She smiled at him again and he frowned deeper.

'You've got to admit...' Kyo thought, 'You can admire a girl like her...' Feeling that he shouldn't stay any longer he stood up. "I better get going. Thanks for your help." He said while digging his hands into his pockets.

"Oh... ok." Tohru said cheerily. "You must want to go home." She led him to the door and opened it for him, "I'm glad that you're feeling alright."

"Yeah." Kyo said while stepping out of the apartment. "Hey, hold out your hand." He said to Tohru at a neutral tone catching her off guard. "Just do it." He told her. Hesitantly, she did so and he dropped the silver necklace that he had found earlier into her hand. "Here. You have it. I have no use for it. Take care of yourself." He then walked away silently, he wasn't sure what else to say so he decided not to say anything at all.

Tohru looked down at the small gift with surprise. 'This necklace...' She could feel her tears swell, 'This necklace is similar to the one mum had... only... with an emerald jewel... mum's one had a sapphire one... I can't accept this...' She looked up to chase up with Kyo but he was gone. 'I hope that we do meet again soon...' She thought.

- - - -

**AN: **Hey everyone! What did you think? Please tell me! I just wrote this since I'm sick at home and bored... Thanks for reading this. Until next time!

- Cherry Chibi


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **As they say, I do not own anything that is of Fruits Basket and of course, I'm not earning any profit from this either. I take no credit for the creations of Furuba.

A Pledge of Onigiri – Chapter Two – By Cherry Chibi

 'Nothing will ever be the same…'

_Roses bloom each day_

_But each one is different_

_That is its beauty_

- - - -

 "Mum…? Would you like me to make breakfast again…?" Tohru opened her bedroom door expecting to hear a reply but none came. Instead, she saw the stacks of boxes. Once again the sadness swept over her sore eyes. 'I forgot… Mum, was it my fault that you went like that?' She could feel her eyes water again but she immediately brushed them back. 'Mum wouldn't want me to cry like this… she would want me to be happy.'

A loud and impatient knock banged on the apartment door. 'It must be my relatives…' She hurried and replied at the door with a smile on her face, "Um… Hello?"

 "Tohru, we're here to pick up Kyoko's things." Her aunty said.

- - - -

Yuki sensed that a certain person had returned home and pretended to ignore the presence and continued on with his daily morning routines. He walked out to the verandah of the house to get some fresh morning air. 'It's interesting… he's finally come back…' Yuki thought as he leaned against the verandah's framing. 'I bet he's going to break something again…'

And in no time at all, crashing sounds exploded and disturbed the morning. Kyo had smashed through the verandah's roof. "Yo! Time to get your ass kicked Rat-boy…" Kyo flexed the muscles on his arms and sneered at Yuki.

Yuki smirked and glanced at Kyo over his shoulder. "Don't mean to disappoint you but there aren't any donkeys around here…" Yuki then took pleasure in watching Kyo's fury grow from the frustration but at the same time, he felt extremely annoyed from the fact that the stupid cat had disturbed the warm morning. He preferred to have a peaceful and quiet morning without a certain someone annoying him.

Kyo growled angrily and balled his hands into fists. "What a shame. Then I'll have to find a substitute… and that would be you!" He then charged forward at Yuki with full strength.

 "Don't waste my time." Yuki replied as he dodged Kyo's attack easily. "I'm not in the mood Stupid-Cat."

 "I'm the one who should be saying that to you!" Kyo then threw several punches at Yuki but each time the rat was able to dodge his attacks. Soon enough, the battle was silenced when Yuki delivered a kick across Kyo's face – sending him flying into the bushes.

Yuki landed gracefully and straightened his shirt. "You're pathetic." Without another glance, Yuki entered the house and soon walked into Shigure.

 "Yuki, please don't tell me that Kyo has returned and broken something again…" Shigure said almost sighing.

 "Why don't you ask the Stupid-Cat?" Yuki replied. "I'm going to go to the library for awhile."

Shigure shook his head slowly. 'Those two are always fighting. They can't even look at each other without starting a fight.' He walked out to the verandah and noticed the damage done to his beloved house. "I appreciate the Homecoming Present Kyo, but could you please fix it up? I don't know why you always have to wreck something when you come home."

 "Shut up." Kyo snapped back. He staggered out of the bushes feeling agitated from the fact that even though he had gone through all of the training, he still wasn't even able to defeat the rat.

- - - -

 "We'll be going now. I'm sure that you would be a dear and stay here for the time being? We still need to sort how who you'll be staying with." Her Aunt said calmly.

 "It's alright, I can just stay here! I'll pay for my own expenses!" Tohru said enthusiastically. After all, everyone had to learn to live independently at some stage so starting sooner would be beneficial. She could see the pleasure spark in her Aunt's eyes. "I really don't want to trouble you on this…"

 "I would much prefer that you come and stay with a relative but if you insist…" Her Aunt said smiling, "Bye." Carrying the last small box, her Aunt walked away. Tohru watched her leave for awhile longer before she closed the door and stared at the empty apartment. 'That means that I'll have to find a job…' She clenched her fist.

 "I'll have to be strong and be grateful for what I still have!" It was going to be hard but she knew that she had to pull through. She was going to have to find a job and work really hard. 'No one else is going to take care of me, I have to do everything. I have to find a job… work hard so that I would be able to get enough money to pay for my school fees… for the rent and…' She stared into space for a while. 'Mum loved me so much… she brought me up all by herself… she worked really hard… I don't know if she knew how much I loved her…'

A while later, Tohru was out on the streets walking from shop to shop to see if any of them would like to hire her for work. No luck. She was soon in a tall building talking to the manager. "Um, I was wondering if there is any sort of job that I would be able to take to work…" Tohru asked.

 "A high school student?" The manager sounded amused. "Well, we are looking for something to help the cleaners but it's a night shift that goes until late at night on weeknights." He said.

 "Oh I don't mind! I'll work really hard! It doesn't matter what time it is!" Tohru said eagerly.

 "Alright, then why don't you start tonight?" The manager said. "It starts at six and finishes at eleven."

 "Thank you so much!"

- - - -

Kyo walked along the city path feeling furious from earlier. How can he be defeated so easily? What was he doing wrong? He didn't get it and it was really infuriating him. 'Damn that Yuki…' While he was walking, he didn't notice that he had caught the attention of a girl that just walked passed him. 'Damn him…'

 "Kyo?"

He jumped up in surprise. "What the hell?! Don't creep up on me like that!" He shouted at the girl who was surprised at his reaction. Calming down immediately, he felt colour rise to his cheeks as other people had looked at him strangely. "Er… hi Tohru."

 "Hello Kyo. It's nice to see you. I want to thank you for last night." Tohru said with a smile. Kyo then saw the necklace he had given her hanging around her neck. It really did suit her. "Are you doing anything today Kyo?" Tohru asked him with a smile.

 "No…" He replied.

 "Would you like to come to the library with me then?" Tohru asked him.

 "No!" Kyo shouted automatically. The library was where Yuki was and he didn't want to go anywhere near that damn Yuki at that moment. Tohru was stunned by Kyo's reaction again. He had such a short temper. She smiled. "What are you smiling about?" Kyo asked her.

 "Hm? Nothing." Tohru replied.

 "Have you moved in with a relative yet?" Kyo asked her. The thought that she was alone in that apartment disturbed him somehow. When she shook her head he frowned. "So what are you going to do?"

 "I've found a job." Tohru said smiling, "So I'm going to stay at the apartment and pay for all my expenses." She sounded as though she was proud of the fact she was doing everything herself but Kyo just cracked it.

 "You mean your relatives aren't going to even help you?!" He asked quite loudly, "You've just lost someone close to you and they don't even show that they even care! Aren't you angry about this?!" When she shook her head he settled in amazement. 'She… still smiles.' He couldn't understand the girl and in some way, she was terrifying him. Although he had only met her for less that a day, he somehow felt that there was a connection between she and he. "That's it. Let's go…" He started walking.

 "Where?" Tohru asked him amused.

 "To where I'm staying." Kyo said, "And you're going to come and stay at that place!" He almost choked at his words. What was he saying? She couldn't stay at the house. Not with the family secret. But maybe it was a selfish way for him to show that he was better than someone. Well, whatever the reason, he did it.

 "No-no-no… I can't possibly trouble you like that! I-…" Tohru was cut off when Kyo snapped at her.

 "Listen, I said that you're going to stay at my place so you are!"

 "But I barely know you!" She was quickly running out of arguments and was moving deeper in worry mode.

 "Then I'm sure that you will get to know me better." Kyo said settling down to his calm state again. "A girl shouldn't have to live by herself like that. Right now your family should know that you're in one of your most needy times but they're not even sparing a second to make sure you're alright." He took her wrist, "Come on. You need a place where you can at least take your mind off things." From the corner of his eyes, he could see the tears forming at the corners of Tohru's eyes along with the expression that showed that she didn't want to show her tears. "Listen, it's alright to cry sometimes. You can't always be happy."

 "T-Thank you so much." Tohru said as she starting trembling with tears. "You're so kind…"

 "Whatever. Let's get going." Kyo was taken aback by Tohru's kind words. 'I don't get how her relatives would neglect her like that... I don't see anything that she would do wrong.' That thought made him even angrier. 'Those... _people_ don't even know what kind of person she is I bet! She deserves better than them!'

- - - -

Yuki walked home with a couple of books in tucked under his left arm. 'What should I plant in the garden …?' He thought, 'The leeks are almost ready…' He had borrowed a couple of gardening books, hopefully they would help him with decide. Soon Shigure's house was in sight. Yuki stepped onto the verandah and immediately he sensed that something unusual was going on. 'Must be that Stupid-Cat.' Yuki thought irritated. Every time the thoughts of an orange haired person named Kyo… he could feel his blood boil.

When he opened the door, he didn't bother announcing his arrival home. Even so, he was then alarmed by the sounds of a familiar voice. 'What's going on?' He walked into the dining room to find Kyo seated at the table with a girl with long brown hair. 'That idiot! What is he doing bringing a girl here?' Suddenly it hit him. That girl was his class mate! "Miss Honda?" Yuki said with a surprised tone.

Tohru turned around equally surprised. "Sohma-kun!" She then blushed a light shade of pink. "Are you related to Kyo?" She turned back to Kyo and then to him, comparing their resemblances – but there weren't really any.

 "You didn't kidnap her did you?" Yuki said questioning Kyo with accusing eyes. The cat glared at him.

 "I didn't. Why are you always getting sick thoughts in your head?" Kyo snapped. He clearly was his normal self; hot tempered, defiant and idiotic – to Yuki anyway. "I'm not in the mood for fights right now. Get lost." He leaned back to the point where he was supporting his weight on his arms.

Yuki raised an eyebrow. 'His brain probably has finally grown a couple of cells.' He entered the dining room and took a seat beside nervous Tohru. "Miss Honda, the other day you were sent home quite early. Are you feeling better now?"

 "Um, yes. I am." Tohru said. "I'm feeling great now!" She smiled.

 "She's going to be staying here." Kyo stated.

Yuki shot a warning look at Kyo. "What are you talking about?" Who did that cat think he was? This wasn't even his house and he was already saying that Tohru was going to be staying at the house? It was rather stupid. Especially with the curse in the family and… Akito. "Why?"

 "It's none of my business to tell you." Kyo snapped. "If you want to know ask Tohru."

 "I really don't want to trouble any of you." Tohru said as she stood, "I really don't want to. It's alright Kyo. I can stay at the apartment. I'm ok. I really am. You see, even though I may be living alone, I have just got a job. I'll be fine." She was reaching panic mode again and it was beginning to agitate him. Yuki however, was slowly catching on to what was happening.

 "Why is it that you're living alone?" Yuki asked, "Isn't your family taking care of you?"

 "How about this Tohru, I'll let you stay here and in return, you can do the housework." A voice came from behind. Tohru yelped and jumped out of her skin. Shigure had somehow entered unnoticed and was smiling like a radiating light bulb. "How about that?"

Tohru stared at him bewildered. "Really?! Then I guess that would be a fair exchange." Before she could say anymore, Shigure had cut in.

 "WELCOME TO THE SOHMA HOUSE!"

- - - -

**AN: **Hello everyone! Here's another chapter. The plot still seems to be boring (well, I can't really tell… I'm half asleep here…)… Now that Tohru is going to move in, things should get a bit more interesting. Thank you everyone for reading and supporting this! I'm really grateful! Next chapter will be a bit of fluffy stuff forming. Hehehe… Until next time!

Cherry Chibi.


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **As they say, I do not own anything that is of Fruits Basket and of course, I'm not earning any profit from this either. I take no credit for the creations of Furuba.

A Pledge of Onigiri – Chapter Three – By Cherry Chibi

_Gentle surprises_

_Come from all the directions_

_And land in your hand_

- - - -

"Thank you very much!" Tohru said as the workers positions the four medium sized boxes of her possessions against her new bedroom wall. They smiled to her and left soon after. In less than two days, she had been able to pack her things and organize a way to get all of her stuff moved to Shigure's house. 'The Sohmas are so kind to allow me to stay with them…'Tohru thought as she began to open one of the boxes to unpack. 'How can I ever repay them…? Mum… It makes me so happy to see their kindness.'

"Is that all you have?" A masculine tone asked her almost in an uninterested tone. Tohru turned around with a smile plastered on her face. Kyo stood at the door way with an arm rested against the door post. "I would've thought that you would have more…" He had expected her, being a girl, to have a lot of clothing and other 'girl like' possessions but it by the looks of it, Tohru only had her school things, a few outfits for casual and formal and then a few photos.

"Yes, it is." She replied brightly. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

Kyo shrugged, "I said it before, it's not safe for a girl to live alone." A quiet moment took over and Kyo caught himself staring at Tohru's happy and elegant face. He flushed and immediately started to find some sort of distraction. "I ah- I've got to do the grocery shopping. See you later." Just as he was about to leave, Tohru reached the door way.

"Kyo-kun, would you like me to come with you?" She asked.

"Ah… nah…" He replied, glancing over his shoulder. He could still feel the colour on his cheeks. "You just unpack and take a break." Tohru watched Kyo's retreating figure. 'He's so sweet and kind but he acts strong…' She wanted to get to know the Sohma family better and therefore, she was going to slowly learn about them, what they liked and disliked along with how they are. 'I wonder… the other night he turned into a cat… what is the reason?' Her hand drew up to the onigiri pendant on her necklace. __

After her moments of daydreaming, she retreated back into the bedroom and continued unpacking her things.

- - - -

'What the hell is wrong with me?' Kyo questioned himself as he prowled along the foot path. His hands shoved inside his pockets and his head lifted high. 'It's not like I know her… so why would I suddenly be so nice to a stranger?' He didn't know why the thought of having Tohru alone in that apartment made him so angry – he didn't know why he acted the way he did. 'I don't even know the girl and here I am acting as though we've been friends for years…'

"Hey! Kyo!"

"What?" Kyo responded to the call. He turned around and found Shigure walking up to him with a white envelope in his hand. 'Now that's a surprise… to see that dog walking around on public streets at this time…' Shigure caught up with Kyo and held out the envelope.

"Message for you, it sounded pretty urgent." Shigure said as Kyo took the envelope from his grasp. "Akito said that you should get it as soon as possible."

'Strange…' Kyo thought as he looked at the envelope with curiosity. "Thanks."

"Well, finish the grocery shopping as soon as you can alright? Tohru-kun is going to be making lunch pretty soon!" Shigure grinned and turned to the opposite direction. "See you later."

Something about Shigure's tone made Kyo suspicious and untrusting towards Shigure. After pondering for a bit, he continued heading towards the shops. On the way he opened the envelope and immediately noticed the necklace in there. He froze as the necklace slid out of the envelope and onto his open palm.

The sapphire jewel shining brightly at the centre of the onigiri pendant.

Immediately, a memory triggered.

- - - -

_Seven year old Kyo was slumped against the tree trunk feeling glum and angry. His scowl was written all over his face. There never was anyone who would treat him fairly. Just because he was the cat of the zodiac, they treated him like dirt – an outcast. Worse of all, they always compared him to the rat. "They're always picking on me!" He said getting louder by each word. "Just because I'm different! They pick on me!" He growled frustrated and punched into the thin air. His orange hair had been ruffed up and his t-shirt was messy. "I'm glad that I'm moving out of here!"_

_ "Hey little guy, what's the matter?" A feminine voice questioned. _

_Kyo looked up and saw the woman standing before him. A beautiful smile on her face. _

_ "You seem to be very upset. Are you alright?" She crouched to be at his level and locked eyes with him. _

_ "I… I'm…" Kyo was taken aback by the woman's sudden actions. She acted as though she saw a normal boy. Not someone who had orange hair or had a bad attitude. He couldn't help but feel a bit more relaxed. And then, he saw that she had a very similar, if not, the same hair colour as he did. 'May she's also a cat…' Kyo thought. "The other kids have been picking on me." He saw the woman frown for a moment, almost as if he had proven that her suspicions were correct. _

_ "You poor thing…" She said placing a hand on his head. "Don't worry. As long as you are yourself, they can never take you down." It was almost like she knew what was going on. Something about her made him feel close. "What's your name?"_

_ "It's Kyo." He felt himself smile when the woman giggled. _

_ "How coincidental. My name is Kyoko." She said. "Oh, you have a beautiful necklace… was it your mother's?" Kyoko touched the onigiri pendant that hung around Kyo's neck. He nodded. _

_ "My mother gave it to me before she went away…" Kyo said. He sat on the grass against the tree and Kyoko settled in front of him. "She never came back." He saw that Kyoko shared his sadness with him. _

_The next couple of hours, he spoke to the woman about his feelings and he was grateful that he had met her. She told him about her family and some of her feelings. It showed him that he wasn't the only one suffering from the feelings that he had felt. During that time, he felt like a normal person for once. He felt as if he belonged somewhere. But those hours went by too quickly, soon Kyoko had to leave. It was probably the first and last time he would ever see her – after all, he was moving away. "Kyoko-san, wait…" He caught up with the woman. He removed his necklace. "Please take this… thank you for today." He held out the necklace to her and she accepted after Kyo's pleas. "I want to thank you for today!" _

_ "That's alright Kyo." Kyoko said, "I hope that you would meet my daughter someday. I'm sure that you two will be best friends." The woman smiled one last time before she walked away. _

_- - - -_

"Kyoko-san…" He clenched his hand into a tight fist around the pendant. He had read the note in the letter. It was stating that in Kyoko's will, he was to be given the necklace. A great sadness and feeling of loss swept over him. A great woman who he had respected… taken away in a car crash… it wasn't the kind of death she deserved. A thought rose in his mind, 'Tohru's mother… could she have been… Kyoko-san?'

That question remained in his mind for the rest of the evening.

- - - -

"Ta-da!" Tohru smiled as she presented the cooked food that she had just made for dinner. Everyone was eager to start eating. It had been rare eating a meal that wasn't take-out… None of them knew how to cook properly anyway except for Kyo but there was very little chance of getting him to cook dinner.

"Wow…" Shigure picked up his chopsticks. "You really out did yourself didn't you Tohru-kun?" He soon began eating, enjoying the taste of fresh healthy food.

Tohru took her seat beside Kyo and waited for the others to start before beginning herself. "How is it? Do you like it?" She asked waiting for the comments on the food. It was her first time cooking for them so she really didn't know whether or not they would like what she had made.

"It's delicious Honda-san." Yuki said warmly after finishing a mouthful. "Perfect."

"You think so?" Tohru asked, "It isn't too bland?" Yuki shook his head slowly. Her smile broadened. 'I can't believe this mum… I'm living with the Sohma family… it's so sudden. I guess I'm lucky.' After all, she would have never imagined herself to be living in the same house as Prince Charming of her school – and she would have never thought that she would be accepted into the household so readily.

Kyo was eating silently. The question from earlier still in his head. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he was suddenly the topic of the next conversation in the group. "Oh, Kyo, I see that you got your old necklace back." Shigure stated. "How did you find it?"

"I didn't know he was still interested in wearing female jewellery." Yuki said in a quiet and uninterested tone. He glanced at Tohru who had an awestruck look on her face. "Something wrong Miss Honda?"

"It's none of your business!" Kyo shouted at Shigure and Yuki – totally unaware of Tohru's expression. "Anyway, you don't even know what this…"

"Kyo! Th-that's the necklace my mum used to wear!" Tohru exclaimed.

Kyo stopped his shouting and settled back in his seat. "Oh… yeah, it is." At that moment his question was answered. Kyoko's daughter had been right before his eyes all this time. 'It's a small world…' He thought. "It's a long story." Kyo said to Tohru in a tone telling the others except for Tohru, that it was none of the business. He explained her about how he had received the necklace from his mother and then onto the day when he had met Tohru's mother and had given it to her to how he had got it back.

Tohru's eyes were starting to water at the memory of her wonderful mother. "Hey! What-What are you crying for?!" Kyo said out loud. He really couldn't stand tears.

"I-I'm okay…" Tohru said between sobs. "Really… I am!" She stifled her sobs and sniffles. Kyo easily figured that she didn't want to let others see her cry. "I'm… I'm just touched by the story! After hearing it, I just felt so glad that I just started crying…" She started making up an excuse to justify her tears but Kyo sighed.

"Yeah, yeah."

Yuki and Shigure didn't understand what was happening totally and had been speculating upon the whole scenario. Suddenly, Shigure raised a curious eyebrow. He took note of Tohru's necklace and Kyo's one. They were both almost alike. "Did Kyo give you that necklace Tohru-kun?"

"What does that have anything to do with you?!" Kyo shouted.

"Yes. He did. He gave it to me on the night when we first met…" Tohru said. She flinched when Kyo directed his shouting at her.

"Don't make it sound like that!!!"

"You didn't do anything to Miss Honda did you?" Yuki asked. Kyo shot a death glare at him.

Shigure chuckled. "Oh I see… how did you and that cat meet?"

Tohru blinked a few times. Did Shigure just say 'cat'? So did that mean that they knew about how Kyo turns into a cat? "Uh… Um…" She was getting nervous again, "I was walking on the street and then I bumped into him… he turned in a cat… and so I… I took him back to my place and made sure he was okay…" There was an odd silence. Especially from the three guys. Some sort of silent communication was occurring and she felt nervous knowing that it had something to do with what she had said.

"You haven't told anyone else about that have you?" Shigure asked Tohru.

She immediately shook her head. "No! Mum always told me that gossiping is wrong and-and I would never do such a thing!" There was a deep knocking sound pounding through the air. She quickly stood up, "Um-um… I think… I hear someone knocking at the door." She hurried straight out of the room.

When she opened the door way, a blond guy jumped in. "Tohru? Tohru Honda?" He asked her with his bright and cheery voice. He sounded almost as if he were surprised. She took was taken aback and took a couple of hesitant steps.

"Ah, yes… I am." She replied. Who was this boy?

"Wow! I can't believe that you would come so soon!" Next thing she knew, the stranger threw his arms around her waist. Puffs of colourful smoke appeared from no where as Tohru fell backwards from the impact of the embrace.

Next thing she knew, there was a rabbit resting on her stomach. 'Oh my... oh my… I turned him into a rabbit!!!!' Tohru screamed in her head. She scrambled onto her knees. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to turn you into a rabbit! I'm sorry! So Sorry!" She took note of the confusion in the rabbit's eyes.

"You didn't turn me into a rabbit silly." He hopped up closer to her. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. I'm Momiji Sohma. I'm a relative of Shigure, Yuki and Kyo,"

"Argh! He's… he's talking!" Tohru didn't know what else to think. First, she turned Kyo into a cat… and now she turned the little boy into a rabbit! "I need to get you a doctor! Don't worry! We'll get you help right away" She felt her head spin round and round from the confusion. 'Mum… is this all a dream…?'

"Um, wait…" Shigure placed a hand on her shoulder. The sudden string of events had caught him along with the others off guard. "Can you um… just… ah…" Shigure then felt the weight pushing against his hand. "Tohru-kun?" Before he knew it, the girl bundled up and fell against him. "Yuki, get some ice!" He touched Tohru's forehead and felt it warming up.

- - - -

Kyo heard the commotion and when he reached the point where the noises had come from, he felt a nerve twitch. Yuki was handing a pack of ice to Shigure who then applied it to Tohru's forehead. 'What the hell happened?' He questioned. Then he saw the yellow rabbit sitting nearby. 'That little…' His hands balled into fists. 'What is he doing here?'

- - - -

Momiji, clueless at what had just happened remained seated where he was on the floor. "What happened to Tohru?! Is she sick? Is she going to be alright?" He hopped around looking worried. Soon enough, he transformed back into his normal form and got dressed. He approached the others closer. "Did I do something wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong Momiji. She's just been having a lot happening lately." Shigure replied. He glanced down at Tohru's flushed face.

"We should explain to Miss Honda about what happened…" Yuki said coolly, "I think that she should know."

"YOU LITTLE PUNK!!!" An angry voice roared and two fists sandwiched Momiji's head.

"Ow! OW! Kyo's hurting me!!!" Momiji started whining, "What did I do?!" He started to whine even more and his child-like cries turned louder and louder.

"Could you two take your arguments somewhere else?" Shigure questioned them. "I think we need to get Tohru in bed." He watched as Tohru's eyes closed and she passed out.

- - - -

**AN: **Hi again!!! Another chapter finished. Sorry for the long wait! (I've been going through a period of writer's block… and I've just come back from my two week field trip thing...) Thank you for your support everyone and I hope to see you around! Until next time!

Cherry Chibi


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **As they say, I do not own anything that is of Fruits Basket and of course, I'm not earning any profit from this either. I take no credit for the creations of Furuba.

A Pledge of Onigiri – Chapter Four – By Cherry Chibi

Kyo's POV

_An innocent smile_

_Masking all sorrows and grief_

_Is one to be admired for_

- - - -

The house was quiet. No sound could be heard except for the ticking of the clock hanging on the far wall. It was well into the late hours of the night. The others have already gone to bed to their respective areas. I however, am still wide awake. There was so much going through my head. My mind was way too active for me to be able to get any sleep anyway. Just awhile ago, when the doctor had departed, all he said was to make sure that Tohru gets enough rest and that she doesn't strain herself.

Anger just boiled within me. How can Tohru _not _strain herself? She already has a part-time job, she's doing the chores here and she also had to worry about school. What really angered me was that she always _smiled. _It was a trait that stood out. It was Tohru to be _happy. _Regardless what the situation is, she has to find some way to smile.I stifled a growl - that was probably the reason why I so blindly let her do as she wishes. Because of that stupid smile. When she smiles, I can't really tell what she's thinking.

I silently crept into the kitchen and walked over to the sink that was cramped with the dirty dishes. I wouldn't usually do this so voluntarily but if no one was going to wash the damn dishes then tomorrow for sure it would end up as a burden for Tohru. Earlier on I had decided to do it once everyone was asleep – I didn't want that rat-boy to see me. Damn I hate him! Someday real soon I'm going to throttle so bad that he would regret that he even existed!

After drying and packing the plates, bowls and the other stuff into the cupboards, I paused and thought of what I should do next. Maybe I can check on Tohru… just to see if she's alright. As silently as I could, I prowled out of the kitchen and up the stairs, towards where Tohru's room was. I slid open the shouji door and peeked in.

She was lying in the futon with the blankets covered right up to her chin. Her face stilled looked flushed but compared to earlier, I would say that she was recovering. Inside it was stuffy and I wondered why no one had opened the window. Were they so stupid and leave her to suffocate or something? I would've expected the wise-guy to have considered that. Guess I would have to open the window a notch then.

Entering the room with caution, I took walked over to the window and slid open the window a few centimetres. A cooling breeze entered. Alarm signaled through my senses when I heard Tohru mumble something and sat upright. Crap! "… Kyo-kun…?" Tohru said quietly. Great… now what?

 "Don't get any ideas in your head." I said dully, "I'm only opening the window." I paused again. What do I say now? It looked like she wasn't going to say anything. Her eyes were just staring at me curiously.

 "Oh, thank you Kyo-kun." She said after a moment and smiled.

 "Uh, yeah. Whatever." I replied. It would've been easier if she had just yelled at me or something! I wasn't used to people being nice to me. But, I felt guilty. Maybe I should've shown a bit more… niceness towards Tohru. She was after all, being nice to me even though she knows that I turn into a cat. "How are you feeling?"

 "Better." She said, "Kyo-kun, why is it that you turn into a cat and… Momiji becomes rabbit…" I must've had some scary face on or something because she immediately changed subject, "I'm sorry, um, I didn't mean to ask that." She gets flustered so easily. I almost chuckled at how sometimes she can be so stupid but at the same time, so… cute.

 "You shouldn't apologize, it was only a question." I said as I sat cross legged on the floor boards. "I'll explain once so listen." In the next ten minutes or so, I told her about the Sohma family. I knew that I wasn't supposed to but she already knew about my secret and partially, about Momiji's. I had kept record of her face expressions and her responses. Not once did she look scared or horrified. Realizing that, I was somewhat relieved. She was amazed and after a moment, she was excited.

 "It reminds me of the zodiac legend that mum use to tell me about all the time when I was little!" Tohru said brightly, "I cried when I first about it."

I raised an eyebrow. Why would she cry listening to that stupid legend anyway? She continued on explaining with great enthusiasm.

 "When I first heard about it, I felt so sorry for the cat… and from that moment, I always had wanted to be the cat!" Tohru said, I was immediately stunned. She wanted to be a cat? Who would want to say something as stupid as that? Well, she did and she was being sincere about it – that made it a bit stranger. "I always loved the cat from the zodiac!" She said, getting a bit more excited. My face was heating up. I wanted to punch myself. She wasn't talking about me or anything. She was talking about a character from a legend. "So you're the cat of the zodiac…" Tohru said thoughtfully, "I hope that we can become good friends!"

 "Uh…" I turned my face to another direction and quickly put myself together again. Once I had regained control of my emotions, I said, "It's not great being the cat." She stopped as soon as I said it. Almost as if she was asking, 'Why?' This was getting too much for me. I stood up, "You get looked down upon a lot and it really isn't any fun. Anything to do with the cat from the zodiac legend is stupid." Before she could put any of her words in, I concluded the conversation, "The doctor said for you to rest and not to strain yourself. Go at your own pace. Night."

Just as I walked out the door, I heard her say, "Good night Kyo-kun." Maybe I should really get a break now, it really is pointless staying awake any longer. Moving towards the ladder which led to the roof, I passed Shigure's room. Light was still seeping underneath the door. I stopped and narrowed my eyes. What was he up to in the hour of night?

_ "Yes, Tohru-kun is settling in… … … no she hasn't told anyone. … … I do think she's trustworthy. Yes, yes. Don't worry about it." _

Typical. Even at this moment, he would still go reporting to the main house like a good dog. But by the sounds of it, Tohru won't be getting her memory erased… and she was going to be able to stay here. That was good news at least. I stopped eavesdropping then and continued to get up to the roof top.

- - - -

Early next morning I stepped out to the lounge room with a towel hanging around my neck. It felt better to take a bath and feel awakened. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by Momiji's loud annoying talking and Tohru. "Good morning Kyo-kun! You wake up quite early." I grumbled a response. What was she doing up now? She's supposed to be in bed. "I'm making breakfast." She said smiling brightly.

 "And I'm giving Tohru a hand!" Momiji interjected loudly. He looked proud of himself. Don't know there is to be proud about though. Suddenly, Momiji turned to Tohru, his face bright as though he had just remembered something. "Oh that's right! I came here to give you welcome present Tohru-kun!"

 "Me?" Tohru looked astounded. "Oh no, I can't accept it… I can't accept," She was cut off when Momiji shoved a box into her hands, making her even more flustered. "Momiji-chan… I can't… really…"

 "Hehehe… Tohru-kun is so cute!" Momiji said, "I got it especially for you! You have to take it!"

This could take awhile if it keeps going at this rate. I could already see it. Tohru wasn't the kind of girl who would willingly accept gifts from others. She doesn't want to trouble anyone. She was always putting in effort to be selfless. She gives but doesn't take from others. After a few more seconds, I couldn't stand it any longer. "Just take the stupid present already!" I raising my voice silenced her and she finally accepted. I really didn't mean for it to come out that way but I really didn't know how else I could've said it.

I wasn't use to it…

After, I left the two to continue their conversation and to whatever they were doing and slumped onto a cushion seat. With a push of button I turned on the television.

_ 'What a lovely morning it is today…we are expecting fine weather for the rest of the week. Today will be a top of…'_

I heard a loud thud and immediately knew who it was. That stupid rat-boy. The door slid open and he entered. A nerve twitched. My hands itched to smash his face in. However, remembering my last experience attacking him early in the morning – I decided against the idea. My teeth grinded together like flint. Why was he always stronger when he's half asleep?! That meant that he's always holding back when we fight! I sneered at him.

 "Sohma-kun isn't really a morning person is he?" Tohru asked.

 "Morning Yuki-kun!" Momiji called.

Oh yeah… so typical… I watched from the corner of my eye as the rat-boy was sent waves of attention as he slowly woke up and greeted them properly. Yuki was always the one who was liked. I hated the fact that he had to be such a 'perfect' guy. The rat was always being compared to the cat in the Sohma family. We were destined to be rivals from the day of our births. I don't know why I had to be the one who had to suffer being the cat. The rat was always the special one. Always the best one. Always the most likeable one. First glance and he was easily attracting attention.

 "Oh, so the stupid-cat over there isn't helping?" I heard Yuki say. I knew he was purposefully darting that comment at me. I sensed loathe in it. In return I growled and prepared for my reply.

 "Don't you think that one helper is already enough?!" I said as I pounced onto my feet. Instantly, the atmosphere of the room tensed up and there was a death glare match. We always fought. Even for the tiniest reasons. I couldn't even stand to be in the same room as him! Let alone under the same roof!

 "You didn't even ask if you could help, stupid-cat."

 "I'm not a stupid-cat!!!" I roared back at him. I hated it when they called me that. For one, I'm NOT stupid. Rat-boy always made his sneering comments at me with some sort of snobby words to be connected with my name or title or whatever. "That's it… enough talk! Let's get this over with a fight! I'll beat the crap out of you!" I shouted at him as I raised my fists. I could tell that he was annoyed enough to agree to the fight. I grinned with anticipation.

 "Wait!" Tohru stepped in. She looked almost… frightened – if that was the correct word to describe her face expression. "Please, don't fight." She was getting even more flustered. I was about to snap at her when something else caught my attention. When did she change her outfit? The red Chinese-like dress really suited her. But then I took note of the embroidery… the 12 zodiac animals?

 "Miss Honda… you look nice." Yuki said.

Immediately, Momiji jumped in. "Of course it does! It really looks pretty on her! She looks very cute!" The sudden change of subject took its toll on her. She blushed a cute light shade of pink and looked down at her dress.

 "Thank you." She said, "But…" After a big hesitation she said quietly, "But… there isn't a cat…" She said it so quietly and hesitantly that the Rat-boy and Momiji didn't hear. It sounded as though she was afraid that her comment would make it appear as though she was ungrateful for the present. I stifled a sigh.

She really must have been kidding. She was still going on about the cat. Even after I told her last night that being the cat wasn't good – that anything to do with the cat from the zodiac legend wasn't good. She was still persisting. Even though it may appear on the outside that I was being really cruel to say such things, somehow inside I felt glad that she liked the cat so much. I couldn't explain why I felt that way though. I just did.

For a short moment, she looked up at me. Our eyes locked and she smiled. I felt the heat in my cheeks and quickly turned my head another direction. Didn't know why I did that. I really didn't. However, seeing her smile at me like that…. Was…

 "Kyo-kun!!" Shigure entered the room, "Good morning everyone! Guess what Kyo-kun?" I didn't respond to his stupid act. "You're going to have to stay here from now on. It's Akito's orders." I almost retaliated to that but held back. Even if Akito didn't order me to, I would've ended up staying anyway. Because I wanted to become friends… with Tohru.

- - - -

**AN:** Now that was a fun chapter to write! /Jumps around happy./ Another update to the fic! I thought that I would do this one in Kyo's POV since it felt like a good idea. /smiles/ Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I had fun writing it!

Thank you for reading everyone! Until next time!

Cherry Chibi.


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: **As they say, I do not own anything that is of Fruits Basket and of course, I'm not earning any profit from this either. I take no credit for the creations of Furuba.

A Pledge of Onigiri – Chapter Five – By Cherry Chibi

Tohru's POV

_Fire, water or earth,_

_Kindnesses are all unique_

_But they all mean good_

- - - -

I was really happy Mum… I couldn't believe that just after a day, the Sohma family had washed away my frown and made me smile again. It was so sudden too. I'm only new to their household and I'm still learning about them but I feel as though this is where I can belong. Also, when Kyo told me that you met him when he was a little kid, I felt so excited. So that was how you received the special necklace? It's such a coincidence too Mum… Because, Kyo also gave me one.

 "Tohru-kun!!! Why don't you wear that dress to the party?" Momiji said to me as he held my wrist. I just looked at him with confusion. What party? Now that I think about it, how did Momiji know my name when he met me for the first time the other night? Mum, is there something that I don't know that I should? "You're so silly Tohru-kun!" Momiji laughed, "You're welcoming party!"

 "What…?! No… I can't possibly… I-I…" A party for me? It felt so sudden and was way too good. I didn't want to trouble anyone just so that they could throw a party for me, Mum. Even though I was rambling on and on about how I didn't need one and that there were many other things that we could do, inside I was really surprised and happy for how kind the Sohma family were being to me. They accepted me into their home and now…

 "Don't be silly Tohru-kun! We have to throw you a party!" Momiji said as he jumped around with a cheerful smile, "Can we have a party for Tohru-kun, Shii-chan?" He pleaded and pleaded. Somehow, he was cute. I smiled as I remembered my conversation with Kyo last night.

Do you remember how you told me about the Zodiac Legend when I was little, Mum? You used to tell it to me as a bedtime story and remember how the first time I heard it, I cried and said that I wanted to be a cat instead of a dog? It just so happens that the Sohma family is possessed by their vengeful spirits and Kyo is the cat! When I realised, I was so excited! Meeting the cat for real… well, just like how Kyo turns into the cat, Momiji turns into the rabbit. Who could be the others? Was Shigure or Yuki part of it as well?

Eventually, Shigure agreed to the party idea but the condition was that we would all go out to eat since I shouldn't have to cook for my own party that someone else was giving me. He was being so considerate. Yuki and Kyo also agreed to the idea which made me even happier. As long as everyone is happy then I guess I would be alright with it.

 "I should change out of this… I wouldn't want to ruin it…" I said cheerfully, "Also, I need to make breakfast!" I didn't want to waste anymore time, so I ran upstairs to quickly change. They must've been hungry, since they hadn't had anything to eat. When I came back down to the kitchen, everyone had settled but there was a strange aura. Did I do something wrong? I walked in hesitantly, don't know why, but I felt out of place for that short period of time.

I was grateful when Momiji jumped to his feet and dragged me into the kitchen to make breakfast. "What are we making Tohru-kun?" He asked with a vibrant expression on his face, "I'm hungry!!!"

- - - -

 "Honda-san?"

I stopped hanging the laundry and greeted Yuki with a smile. "Hello Sohma-kun! What is it?" The seriousness in his eyes startled me a bit. There was a long silence and my nerves kind of got worked up.

 "You found out about the family secret… and because of that, Shigure had to go and talk with Akito, the head of the family. You might have to get your memories erased." He sounded as though he regretted saying them. I thought for a moment, I knew that it must've been really important to keep the secret safe and so they had to take measures.

I didn't mind. As long as in the end everyone was happy. I mean… It would be sad for me to forget about their kindness but I guess I would live with it. "It's alright Sohma-kun! As long as your family is happy then there's nothing you should be worried about!" I smiled brightly with assurance. Mum… if it did come to that, I would be alright wouldn't I? "Even if my memories are erased… I still want us to be friends. Promise Sohma-kun?"

Yuki's eyes had widened a bit. After a moment, he finally smiled. "Promise."

Everything felt comfortable after that; you could say that it was 'back to normal'. I had free time after this too, and I thought of what I should do. Then an idea sparked. Mum, remember how earlier Momiji gave me the beautiful dress? I hope that Momiji wouldn't mind… but I think I will make a little adjustment to it.

Soon after finishing the laundry, I was in my room. Needle and golden thread in one had and the soft silky material in the other. It was going to take a while but I was determined to get it ready before the party. I hope that this would make Kyo happy…

Suddenly, thinking about him made me blush. I felt so embarrassed for some reason that I accidentally pricked myself with the sewing needle. "Ow!" In reaction, I quickly withdrew my hand and sucked onto my fingertip. The sharp pain eased after a few moments. How clumsy of me! But it was a good thing that I didn't mess up the embroidery.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door. It was a hard strong knock and I was able to guess who it was. "Yes?!" I waited for the reply.

 "Tohru, what's taking you so long in there?" Kyo's voice queried. It was a calm, relaxed tone.

 "Oh! I'm just busy fixing something!" I replied. On my watch, I saw the time and realised that soon it was time to leave for the party! "I-I'll be ready really soon!" I quickly finished up the final stitches and made the last couple of touch ups for its completion. "There…" I admired my work for a bit. It wasn't too bad… I'd say it was sort of… cute. Maybe it was because it was a cat that it was cute.

 "Alright." I heard Kyo say. After a moment he continued, "I'll wait out here then."

Seeing that he was going to wait, I didn't want to keep him out there by himself too long so I changed into the dress. I did up my hair into a braid. "Ok! I'm…" I slid open the shouji door and stepped out…

- - - - Kyo's POV - - - -

 "Ready!" She appeared finally. All prepared for the departure. I stared at her, feeling the heat dancing on my cheeks again. My attention soon drawn to the new edition to her dress. A golden stitched cat was positioned on her right shoulder. Earlier when she said that there wasn't a cat… she must really have been sad about it or something because she did spend an hour in her room. I didn't want to admit it, but I had been worried. She must've seen me take notice of her work as well because she gestured to the embroidery. "Do you like it?" Her bright smile just made me even more uncomfortable.

 "It's…"

 "WOW!!! Look Kyo!!!" That brat suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Tohru-kun put a cat on it…" Momiji took a good look at it and then stepped back, "You look really cute Tohru!!!" I felt extremely agitated by the fact that Momiji had popped out of nowhere and disturbed the conversation.

Tohru was smiling as always. "You really think so?"

 "Of course! Don't you think so Kyo?" Momiji suddenly darted the question at me and I merely gawked. How am I supposed to say outright that she looked cute?! It's not like me to say something like that…

 "Yeah." Did I just say that?

 "…Really Kyo-kun…?" Tohru had turned several shades of red and was, once again, getting all hyped up. "Um… ah… I…" I turned my glance to another direction. The last thing I needed right now is to have the little runt picking up the fact that I was a bit flushed in the face.

 "See Tohru-kun?! He loves you too!" Momiji said out loud with no sign of hesitation. I felt my face turn red. THAT LITTLE RUNT! Before I could retaliate one bit, Momiji had already taken Tohru's hand and was leading her back downstairs so that we could leave. She too was red in the face.

At that moment I pondered that maybe she too would feel… I shook my head. The only reason she looked like that was because she was embarrassed! Saying that someone loves you is just… grr… How can I word that?!

- - - -

The walk to the café was a noisy one. I guess that it was also partially my fault too since I hadn't resisted in arguing with the rat. Momiji however, had been paying his full attention to Tohru and Shigure… well, he tagged along and made his interjections now and then. Momiji had been planning to take Tohru to a restaurant or something like that but she didn't want us to spend too much and Shigure said that we'd probably make too much noise anyway so it gradually nailed down to some café.

Not that I really cared anyway.

 "Tohru-kun… I hope that you don't mind going to the café… Shii-chan is so mean! We should be taking you to a big restaurant…" Momiji whined. I felt my teeth grind together. Why did that brat always have to bother Tohru? He's barely met her for less than a couple of days and already he's smothering her with all his insolent questions and comments… a pang struck me. Why did I care?!

 "It's alright Momiji-kun! I'm glad that I'm even able to have a party with everyone!" Tohru said with a wide smile on her face, "Don't you think so Momiji-kun?"

A smile brightened Momiji's face and he nodded with agreement. "You're so cute Tohru-kun!" Instantly, I knew what he was going to do and sandwiched his head between my fists.

 "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" I yelled out loud at him. Immediately he had started whining again, just like the other night. It really pissed me off.

 "KYO-KUN'S HURTING ME!!!!"

 "You're in a public place you moron!" I shouted at the rabbit. He squirmed in my grip like a worm. Yuki looked like he agreed with me for once… slightly and Shigure was being neutral. However, I couldn't read what Tohru was feeling.

 "But I wanna hug Tohru-kun!!!" Momiji shouted louder.

I was thankful that there weren't many people out on the streets because this would've drawn a lot of unwanted attention. Somehow, the brat slipped out of my grip and wiped a couple of pathetic tears from the corner of his eyes. He glared weakly at me and said something in German before saying, "Kyo-kun probably loves Tohru-kun!!" For some reason, that had silenced the whole group. I didn't know why Yuki and Shigure looked stunned but I could understand that Tohru was once again embarrassed.

 "You little…" The words slowly seethed between my locked jaws. Who was he to think that he could say something like that?!

Momiji finally took note of what he said and he surprisingly withdrew himself. "Ah…" The silence was getting unbearable. Why were the dog and rat so stunned by that stupid sentence? Why did the rabbit suddenly act differently?

 "I feel like some ice-cream! Shall we get some?" Tohru's voice sliced through like a cheerful melody breaking a trance that we had fallen into. "Let's go! I'm sure that Kyo-kun, Sohma-kun, Momiji-kun and Shigure-san wouldn't want to stay outside for too long!" Suddenly, she took my hand and with a tug she was soon pulling me along. Momiji was holding her other hand.

The silence still carried through but it wasn't as uncomfortable as before. Today, I realised that there was clearly something being kept from me. The way that Yuki, Shigure and Momiji acted for those short moments were proof that something was being hidden. I had to find out. What was it that made Momiji's intended 'teasing' so serious?

- - - -

**Linear Notes**

In this fic, you all probably noticed that I'm using the Japanese honorifics for the characters' names. So… just so that those of you who don't know would understand better, I'll list them here (I'll also list extra stuff so it might help when you read other fics).

**-san:  **This would be equivalent to 'Miss' or 'Mrs.' or 'Mr.'. People who are younger would often say this after the name of a senior or such. So, Tohru would call Shigure, 'Shigure-san'. However, they could also use it for people who are their age as well. This one is one of the more common ones used.

**-kun:  **This would usually be put after a boy's name and would often be used to call someone who is either a friend your age or someone younger. So, why do they call Tohru with a kun? It is because Tohru is usually a boy's name.

**-chan:  **This would usually be put after a person's name to show that they're really close, or you put chan after a nickname. Sometimes, it could also mean 'little'. It's more commonly used by girls but guys would also use it.

**-sama:**  This would be put after the name of someone who is a superior. Um… this would kind of be an equivalent to 'Lord' or 'Lady' or even 'Master'.

**-dono:**  This would be a more polite version of 'Miss'. It has also been used after the name of a landlady.

Ok, so some extra stuff…

**Onigiri:**  rice ball (Heh… if you didn't know that… WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!)

**Umeboshi****:**  Pickled plum. Often used in onigiri recipes… I'm not sure what else they use it in.

**Sensei:**  This would be 'teacher'… but also, when someone is a master artist of some form, they would be called sensei as well. Like in the manga, Haru calls Shigure 'sensei'.

I think this would be enough for now.

Thank you everyone for your support! I appreciate it lots and lots and lots!!! Hope to see you all again next time! Ja ne!

Cherry Chibi.


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: **As they say, I do not own anything that is of Fruits Basket and of course, I'm not earning any profit from this either. I take no credit for the creations of Furuba.

**AN: **Hello everyone! I'm really, really, really, so, so, so sorry for not updating for so long! I hope that this chapter would make up for the wait. ****

Oh yes, just for the reviewer who asked if I was British because I spelled 'Mom' as 'Mum'... the answer is no. I'm Australian. /thumbs up/****

A Pledge of Onigiri – Chapter Six – By Cherry Chibi

Secrets bound with fate

A Pledge of Onigiri

Remember once more

- - - -

_ Kyo's POV from Chapter 5 _

_"I feel like some ice-cream! Shall we get some?" Tohru's voice sliced through like a cheerful melody breaking a trance that we had fallen into. "Let's go! I'm sure that Kyo-kun, Sohma-kun, Momiji-kun and Shigure-san wouldn't want to stay outside for too long!" Suddenly, she took my hand and with a tug she was soon pulling me along. Momiji was holding her other hand. _

_The silence still carried through but it wasn't as uncomfortable as before. Today, I realised that there was clearly something being kept from me. The way that Yuki, Shigure and Momiji acted for those short moments were proof that something was being hidden. I had to find out. What was it that made Momiji's intended 'teasing' so serious? _

- - - -

"Yummy!" A child-like cry tore across the table. Momiji was happily eating away his double vanilla chocolate topping ice cream that had been sided with a serving of jelly and fruit salad. Eventually, he stopped and licked the back of his spoon and looked onward to Tohru. "Tohru-kun, aren't you going to eat?" He asked with a radiant smile.

_'If he can smile any bigger, he's head would be brighter than the sun.' _Kyo thought to himself sarcastically as he played with his share of dessert. In truth, he didn't feel like eating anything. His mind was occupied with so many other things. Things such as what could it be that the other's were keeping a secret from him and why did it matter so much. Other questions were just trailing into his head one after the other and they were putting him in a foul mood since he didn't have any direct answer for them. It was like an archer missing his target by miles and never seeming to get any closer or make any improvement.

Tohru smiled, "Yeah. It looks yum." She said enthusiastically. It was exciting and she really felt that she belonged into the Sohma family. Regardless of the fact that she had known them for only a short while. Looking up from her ice cream, she hid her disappointment when she saw the cold look in Yuki's eyes and the masked concern within Shigure's thoughtful gaze. What was it in the family that made them all seem to bear their own unique grief? Since earlier, Tohru had been thinking a lot about it too. It felt as though no matter how close she came to revealing the truth, she would somehow rebound from it and end up in square one.

She really wanted everyone to relax and have a good time. She really wanted everyone to forget their troubles and just be carefree and cheerful. Thinking of something up quickly, a smile soon lit her face brighter. "I know! Why don't we play a game?" Tohru asked. "It's really fun." Upon hearing the word 'game' it seemed as though everyone decided to listen in.

Tohru immediately moved into explaining. "The game is called Dai Hin Min."

- - - -

"I got a winning hand."

"You damn rat!" Kyo slammed his handful of cards onto the table. "That game was rigged!"

Tohru giggled. It was already their fifth round and so far, Yuki was winning with five games in his hand. Momiji and Shigure continued playing while Yuki and Kyo squabbled on with their argument. _'At least everyone has loosened up a bit...' _She thought happily. Any trace of how the situation felt from earlier had vanished to not even a speck of dust.

"That's it! I am so getting sick of you!" Kyo shouted.

"Funny. I never thought that you would ever leave me alone." Yuki replied as he settled his hand of cards onto the table. Looking at Tohru's direction he smiled, "Honda-san, it's getting fairly late. Are you tired?" His sudden actions of ignoring Kyo made fumes vent from the cat's head.

She would've replied with a 'no' but her gentle yawn gave it away. Seeing this chance to speak, Shigure made his intervention. "Oh! Tohru-kun, looks like we should get home. You've been so busy lately and you really must be tired. Come, come! Don't want to have to deal with pesky lecherous boys all night!" Shigure just felt amused when he saw the others shoot glares at him.

"I would say that you were the one who is lecherous." Kyo stated.

"For once, I agree with you." Yuki added.

- - - -

_"Good night everyone." Shigure said as he made his way back to his workroom. "Don't be too late." He gave a wink and hurried off before anyone could make a move to get him. As the shouji door of his room closed, they heard him chuckle. _

_"Why is he in such a hurry?" Yuki questioned as he removed his coat._

_"Well, he really must be behind work. Thank you for tonight everyone!" Tohru said radiantly. Heading towards the stairs she stopped at the foot of the steps with her hand resting against the wall. Her eyes flickered with something that didn't match her happy mask. Kyo had a feeling that he needed to ask her but before he could, Momiji had cut in. _

_"Tohru-kun... are you alright?" He hurried up from behind her and gave her a shock. _

_"Argh! Oh... I'm sorry... Yes, I'm fine. I'm going to go to bed. Good night!"_

Her reaction had given him a further reason to look into the lurking demon that placed such a grim aura on their evening. His eyes gazed at the onigiri pendant as it swung in tiny circles on the silver chain as he held it up. Within seconds he found himself comparing the pendant to the stars and the moon in the sky... after that, he completely zoned out.

_"Kyo? What are you doing here?"_

_"I-I want to meet her before I..."_

Clatter. Kyo stared at the onigiri pendant shine against the tiles. "It... can't be..."

"What can't be?" A cheerful voice caught him off guard.

"Hell! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Kyo shouted, Tohru laughed and then climbed fully up the ladder and took a seat beside him. They fell silent but it was comfortable and gave them a warm feeling within.

She would've been in bed but she couldn't sleep. For some reason, when she stopped by the stairs, something struck her. The whole evening felt like deja vu for her and she really wondered why. Usually, Tohru would let that feeling pass but it stuck on her like two magnets. As she lay in bed, her mind kept thinking about it and eventually, she just had a gut feeling that it was something to do with her past. Not a lot of it, just a small section of it. "A lot has happened recently..." Tohru said with a smile, her eyes fell back on Kyo. They seemed to be trying to lead him to another point of their meeting. "But I never thought that I would remember and think through so many things."

"Heh. Yeah..." From the corner of his eye he could see her smile. "What are you smiling about?" In his mind, he was saying, _'what are you doing up here in a time like this?'_

"There are a lot of things to smile about." Tohru said with a giggle. Her fingertips played with the pendant that hung around her neck. Watching her, Kyo thought about it. She was always doing her best to look at the positives in a situation. In a situation like this, she still manages to find something to smile about. But because she was always smiling, he never knew what she was actually thinking or what she was feeling. Somewhere deep down she must have been thinking that she would be able to carry her burden alone. "Kyo-kun, do you ever wonder if we've met before?"

That question struck him like lightning. He didn't show any reaction but inside his feelings were churning with some form of excitement. Maybe he really did have part of the answer but there was much more that he needed to look into. Maybe a part that feels missing from inside could finally be replaced. "Maybe."

"You really think?!" Tohru suddenly pounced onto her hands and knees. "Then it really probably isn't just deja vu or anything like that." Her excitement was making him uncomfortable and the fact that their faces were only inches apart didn't help either. "It's just that while I was thinking, I been having this feeling that we've met somewhere before. But you didn't go to my school and I don't think that I've met you at the shopping centre or..." She stopped and then a tinge of pink touched her cheeks. "Why are you so red Kyo-kun?"

"Ah..." Kyo didn't realise that his face had turned red and he turned his face quickly to another direction. While Tohru had been speaking, Kyo had realised at how beautiful she looked when she was happy and how he loved watching her when she smiled. '_This isn't the time to think like that...'_ When Tohru's hand pressed against his forehead he squirmed. "Hey!" He edged away. _'Being too close to her isn't good for me...'_

"You're not coming down with a fever..." Tohru said. A 'chipping' like sound was heard and Tohru got distracted by it. Her eyes widened when she realised what it was. An onigiri pendant with a sapphire jewel was rolling off the roof. "Oh no!" As an instant reaction, she charged and reached out for it.

"Hey! There's a loose tile there!" Kyo's warning came a second too late and Tohru's knee hit the shaky surface and slipped. He pounced and grasped her shoulder before she could fall off edge. Whatever happened next seemed to be slightly confusing but the consequence was stomach lurching. He was on his hands and knees above Tohru with one hand gripping her shoulder firmly. "Tohru-kun... are you alright?"

Pink smeared on her cheeks as she stared at Kyo's face. In her right hand that was hanging off the roof's edge, she could feel the silver chain dangle around her fingers. "I..." Tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. It was a close call and she was relieved.

"What are you crying for?" Kyo questioned. He tried to replace his embarrassment with anger but it was wearing off really fast, his tone became gentler as he spoke. Sighing, he brushed her tears away with his thumb. He could feel her soft skin under his touch. "Look, I... really... don't like tears..."

"ARGH! KYO-KUN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO TOHRU-KUN?! YOU'RE MAKING HER CRY!!"

The whiny shout made Kyo freeze. Turning his red face towards the direction of the intruder he swallowed with embarrassment, "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK YOU BRAT!!!" Privacy was so damn hard to get these days and out of all times to be interrupted it had to be in such an embarrassing situation. Before he could move away from Tohru a well delivered punch struck his face and sent him flying back. He crashed onto the roof hard. "Damn it!" He got onto his feet and yelled, "Aren't you supposed to be asleep you damn rat?!"

"I didn't think that you'd be so low." Yuki responded.

"W-Wait! It's not what you think Sohma-kun!" Tohru quickly interfered. Suddenly all eyes were on her. "You see, um... this..." She held out the necklace, "Was going to roll off the roof and I went to save it but I slipped on a loose tile..." She pointed to the tile, "And then I was about to fall off but Kyo-kun saved me." For a moment she looked anxious and then concluded, "I-I wasn't crying either. Some dust got into my eye..."

"Oh... so Kyo-kun wasn't trying to give Tohru-kun a kiss..." Momiji added acting thoughtfully.

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING THIS ANY EASI-" Once again Kyo was hit in the face by Yuki. "Dammit! What's wrong with you?!" He shot a death glare towards Yuki who just reflected his sneer. Somehow, it made it seem as if Yuki was giving him some form of warning but at that moment, Kyo didn't care.

"Miss Honda, you didn't hurt yourself did you?" Yuki turned his attention to Tohru and smiled, "That idiot didn't do anything to make anything worse did he?"

Tohru blushed and shook her head. "N-No he didn't. Everything is OK!" As things settled, Tohru gave Kyo a sympathetic look but she gave him a smile of assurance as well as gratitude. Sensing that he wasn't in any mood for any fights and she didn't want to see them shoot anymore bad words at each other, she said, "Everything's alright so Sohma-kun, Momiji-chan... why don't we all get to bed?"

"Yeah! Good idea!" Momiji said as he climbed down the ladder towards the ground floor of the house. Yuki followed him and soon enough, peace was restored to the atmosphere.

Kyo was busy within his withdrawal cursing about Yuki but he was interrupted by Tohru. "Are you alright Kyo-kun?" She looked concerned and was analyzing the bruises that were forming on his cheeks. "Sohma-kun really hits hard..."

"Yeah. I'm fine." Kyo said glumly, "But you're alright aren't you?"

"Yes. And it's thanks to you." Tohru tucked the necklace into Kyo's hand. "Keep it safe yeah?" She smiled.

"Yeah, I..." Heat pumped straight to his head when Tohru leaned forward and kissed his cheek. It was a timid and quick touch but it sent adrenaline through his body.

"A kiss to make it better, good night Kyo-kun!" She giggled and soon was climbing down the ladder. She flashed him a beautiful smile - a smile that illuminated his dreams that night.

- - - -


End file.
